PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: 2/23/17

Contact: Andrew Rothman
From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre
40 River Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44122
Phone: 440-247-8955
E-mail: cvlt@cvlt.org
Website: www.cvlt.org

Promotional PHOTOS available for download at http://www.CVLT.org/promo

After thirty years, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS returns to Chagrin Falls beginnings

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - In the summer of 1987, Chagrin Valley Little Theatre secured the rights to stage Ohio's first production of Little Shop of Horrors. At the time, the musical comedy with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken was still finishing its original Off-Broadway run, and Frank Oz's film adaptation had just left the big screen for VHS earlier that year. The CVLT production's six-week run was a huge hit for the theater, and the man-eating-plant puppets constructed for the show would go on to appear in many subsequent productions in Northeast Ohio.

Thirty years later, Little Shop of Horrors returns to the CVLT stage for a 12-performance run, March 24^th through April 22^nd. Performances will be at 8 PM on Friday and Saturday nights, with 2 PM matinees on Sunday April 2^nd and 9^th. Tickets are $20 with a $4 discount for students and seniors, as well as discounts for groups, events, or fundraisers.

The musical Little Shop of Horrors is based on Roger Corman's 1960 black comedy / horror film of the same name, which was so low-budget as to be filmed in just two days. It's the story of Seymour (played by Nate Summers), the shy, nebbishy assistant at a languishing Skid Row flower shop run by Mr. Mushnik (Michael A. Green). He harbors a secret crush on his co-worker Audrey (Nina Takacs), who is the girlfriend of an abusive dentist (Steven R. Tiderman). Seymour finds himself suddenly famous when he discovers a "strange and unusual plant," which he names Audrey II. When the plant reveals that it can talk (voiced by Anthony Williams), move (Genevieve Vince, Alex Petsche, and Stephen Heinzel), and is thirsty for human blood, Seymour is pushed to find his dark side in order to keep his new found status. The doo-wop style pop/rock score is backed by three Motown-esque street urchins; Crystal (Aja Norman), Ronette (Kimberly Sullivan) and Chiffon (Jen Ryan), and other Skid Row denizens (Stephen Bundy, Natalie Dolezal, Rosi Jamison).

The Off-Broadway success of Little Shop led Disney to hire the team of Ashman and Menken for their next film, which would become the award-winning The Little Mermaid. The duo's work kick-started the Disney renaissance of the 1990s, including music for Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Menken would continue working after Ashman's death, composing the songs for Newsies, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, Tangled, and a variety of other film and Broadway scores.

CVLT's 2017 production of Little Shop of Horrors retains strong ties to their 1987 staging. At the helm is director Greta Rothman, whose mother Paula Pike played the leading role of Audrey. "I was 14 at the time," says Rothman,"and I not only loved this quirky new musical but I was naturally thrilled that my mom was to play the ingenue. Each night I would run lines with her as she made sure to capture the right tone and humor of Audrey, and each night we would brush and style her blonde bouffant wig, which was practically a character itself. I watched every performance from the back of the house." Mrs. Pike's then-husband Jeffrey Brader was a featured performer in the show, and Ms. Rothman's younger brother Andrew played percussion in the band. Mr. Brader passed away in 1992, and Mrs. Pike in 2014. "Thirty years is a very long hiatus for a community theatre to take in remounting a hit show it debuted," explains Ms. Rothman, "and Mom's passing has made it all the more meaningful that CVLT would put me in charge of this production."

As if the director's connection to the material weren't enough, the show's choreographer is Pamela LaForce, who played the role of "Crystal" in the 1987 production. Ms. LaForce has since choreographed, directed, or performed in dozens of productions at CVLT and around the Cleveland area. She won the 'Best Choreography' award at CVLT's first annual Audrey Awards ceremony in 2016 for her work on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Rounding out the production team is David W. Coxe, who is taking his first turn as a Musical Director at CVLT but has an extensive musical direction background elsewhere that includes eight other productions of Little Shop.

Tickets for Little Shop of Horrors can be purchased online at CVLT.org or by phone at 440-247-8955, 1-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The newly renovated Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is located at 40 River Street in the Village of Chagrin Falls.

CVLT is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and supported by the Ohio Arts Council. CVLT is a proud member of the American Association of Community Theatre.

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